


It's You And Me

by salvatorestjohn



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Birthday, Canonical Child Abuse, Gen, Heavy Angst, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Tattoos, Teenage Rebellion, but also some not quite canon child abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24246826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/salvatorestjohn/pseuds/salvatorestjohn
Summary: Basically just an origin story of Landon's cool chess piece tattoo because I am obsessed with it.
Relationships: Landon Kirby & Rafael Waithe
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	It's You And Me

Landon hisses as his hand slips against the rough bark of the tree he's currently trying to climb. He quickly plants his food harder against the base, tightening his grip with his other hand. He hurries to grab hold of the branch above.

It's far more successful this time and he manages to pull his weight up from the ground and into the tree, placing his foot carefully on a sturdier branch. 

He remembers to avoid the one to his right and scales his way up with ease now, the path memorized in his head. There's a slight bend on the branch he steps on but it's only for a second before his foot is off of it. He stretches his hand out, latching onto the windowsill for a moment as he groans quietly before he lightly hits the window with his palm.

Glancing down at the gap beneath his foot and the wall of the house is a mistake that he certainly makes. His stomach flips.

"Come on," he mutters, the bark scraping his other palm as he tries not to lose his grip. "The one time you don't have weirdly sensitive hearing."

He hits the window again, still trying to be as quiet as possible. The last thing he needs is making any kind of loud noise. Hence the tree.

A beat passes, and for a very worrying moment, Landon considers the possibility that he's going to have to attempt the front door after all. That's the last thing he wants to do. He glances back at the tree and wonders if any of the branches are secure enough for him to be able to sleep on them without falling. It's freezing, though, seeing as how it _is_ the middle of October. But he's slept on and in worse conditions, so really—

There's a sound at the window and he whips his head back around to find Rafael opening the blinds. 

"Oh thank god," he groans in relief. 

Rafael quickly pulls the window open and stretches an arm out to help him in.

"I love you," Landon says with full sincerity as he happily takes his hand and lets him haul him in through the window, his other hand scraping the stone sill as he blindly takes his feet off of the tree. 

Rafael rolls his eyes, but he's smiling as he shakes his head at him. "You're gonna break your neck out there if you keep doing this."

"And it will be totally worth it," Landon retorts as Rafael drops his hand in favour of closing the window. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"How about not sneak out nearly every night?" Rafael suggests as if that thought should have been obvious to him without needing him to say it. 

It's a thought that has definitely crossed his mind every time he risks breaking something on that damn tree. But then he remembers that the alternative is being stuck in the house with the people who like to call themselves their parents despite having no parental instincts whatsoever. He'd take breaking a bone or two over feeling like a prisoner any day.

Landon just groans and flops down onto the nearest bed; Rafael’s, of course, because his own is all the way across the room and who has the time? Or the energy. He’s been walking about town all night. And it’s a small town. 

Not as small as the last one, though; Mystic Falls wasn’t much more interesting, aside from rumours of a weird boarding school that he never got to see while he was staying with his previous foster parents. 

Atlanta’s… not so bad. And he has Rafael here, so that’s a bonus. 

Rafael, who laughs at his exhaustion and gently kicks his legs to the wall so that he can slide onto the bottom of the bed. He bends one of his own legs, letting the other hang off the edge. 

“What were you even doing?” he asks. “It’s nearly midnight. I had to lie and say we were studying for some big test so that they wouldn’t come and try and check on us. You’re gonna get us both in trouble eventually.”

Landon rolls his eyes, throwing his arms above him. “We’re always in trouble with them! They don’t like us! They apparently thought I would be Catholic. No idea why, I didn’t realize I screamed _take me to church_ unless it’s the song, and I have a feeling Hector and Maria would disapprove of Hozier’s take on a religious experience.”

Rafael snorts, shaking his head and looking away from him. “I’m not even touching that one.”

“You know I’m right.”

“I know you purposefully argue with them about everything, yeah.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault that they’re reading some mistranslated verse in the bible that apparently tells them that me kissing another boy is a sin and I’ve damned myself to hell,” Landon says, but he’s not annoyed. Amused, actually. 

They tried so hard to tell him off when they caught him, but they were more flustered than he was, and they sort of dropped the subject when they realized he was going to argue back. 

“It’s not like anything was even gonna happen beyond that,” he adds, rolling his eyes again. “But hey, you try explaining being not straight and also not into sex to them. They might actually listen to you.”

Rafael nudges his leg with his own. “I’m on your side, remember?”

Landon sighs and pushes himself up on his elbows. “I know. Sorry. They’re just getting on my nerves. I’m actually beginning to wish someone else would foster me. And you, obviously.”

Rafael smiles. He then says, “Well, our birthdays are coming up soon. And then we’ll be allowed to go anywhere we want. No more foster homes.”

“Just you and me, out in the world,” Landon says, exaggerating for a little theatricality. It makes Rafael chuckle, ducking his head, so it’s a win in his books. “We should come up with a good way to celebrate on your birthday, since we’re obviously not going anywhere until we’re both able to.”

A wary expression crosses Rafael’s face at that, lifting his eyes back to him. 

“What does that mean? Because, I don’t wanna get in any trouble…”

Landon shakes his head. A mischievous, but hopefully reassuring grin stretches across his mouth.

“No trouble,” he promises. “Just something fun. To celebrate our freedom. What do normal people do on their eighteenth? They get cars and stuff, right?”

“We’re not buying a car,” Rafael says flatly, practically stating the obvious. Even if that had been Landon’s plan, they would never be able to afford it, and the chances of Hector and Maria splurging out on anything more expensive than clothes or school supplies isn’t likely. 

“Who said anything about buying it?” Landon wiggles his eyebrows, just to draw the exact reaction of disbelief and exasperation that he gets before he drops it. “Kidding. Neither of us has any idea how to hotwire a car. Or drive, actually.”

Rafael suddenly turns sheepish. “I know how to drive.”

Raising an eyebrow, Landon stares at him curiously. “How? And why do I not know this?”

“Cassie’s been showing me some stuff when we’ve been out in her car.” Rafael shrugs as if it’s no big deal. “I’ve gotten the hang of it.”

Landon scoffs, but he’s grinning again. “I’m impressed. And also betrayed, you are totally taking me out with you guys next time, I don’t care how big of a third wheel I’ll be. Or if Cassie hates me.”

“She doesn’t hate you,” Rafael immediately chides, sounding weary of the topic already. Probably because they’ve had the exact conversation over and over again, usually after one of Rafael and Cassie’s date nights, when Landon’s caught her cold side glances at him. 

He honestly can’t think of a single interaction they’ve had where he could have done something to upset her in the slightest. Maybe Rafael’s told her about his sneaking out. 

She seems to like rules and sticking to them, and she gets along well with Hector and Maria whenever she comes over. They always bring her snacks and fuss over her. Much more than they ever do for the two of them, their actual _foster kids_. 

Chances are she wouldn’t be too fond of him for getting on their bad side, like, all of the time. But in his defence, only about forty-two percent of their arguments are initiated by him. The rest are all Hector and Maria. 

“She hates me,” Landon repeats, and presses on before Rafael can interject, “but that’s fine with me, alright? I’m nice to her because you like her, and that’s enough for me. But I am hijacking your next “not a date” date with her.”

Rafael rolls his eyes, a smile at the corners of his mouth. “I wasn’t going to argue anyway. I always invite you and you always say no.”

“Because--”

“ _She doesn’t hate you_.”

Landon holds his hands up, shifting his weight so he doesn’t fall over. “Alright, alright. We’re way off topic now anyway. Your birthday: what are we doing?”

“You do remember that your birthday is literally in two days, right?” Rafael points out, waving a hand at him. “What are we doing to celebrate that?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Landon says with a shrug, brushing it off, a lump rising in his throat. He discreetly swallows it down and ignores the strange look Rafael gives him. “Yours is in two weeks, we need to plan our _great escape_. Hey, maybe Cassie could drive us to a different state.”

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?” Landon throws his hands out. “I was being serious! That wasn’t in any way mean, how many times do I have to tell you that I’m not the one with a problem with Cassie? She’s cute, and smart, and into Lord of the Rings. I couldn’t approve more if you were dating Frodo himself.”

Rafael doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t even crack a smile. 

“Deflecting,” he says as if Landon stopped talking after his rhetorical _doing what?_ “Look, man, I know you don’t like talking about your birthday, alright?”

Landon presses his lips together and looks away from him with an irritated sigh. He swings his legs off of the bed, getting up. 

“I don’t either,” Rafael continues, his eyes following him as he finally moves to his own bed, sitting down to take his shoes off. “We’re in foster care. Birthdays are gonna suck. But you’re turning _eighteen_ , Landon.”

He stays quiet as if he can’t hear him. It’s easier to ignore the prickling under his skin, like burning hot ash. A tight grip around his wrist, the butt of a cigarette pressing into his arm. His nails scrape his laces and he grits his teeth as he undoes them. 

“That’s a big deal. You can’t just ignore your birthday; I’m not gonna let you, for one. We’re doing something to celebrate, even if it’s small.”

“I’ve never celebrated it before, what’s the point in starting now?” Landon questions, the desire for this conversation to be over like a needle poking insistently at him. 

He tries to lighten his voice, forcing a laugh when Rafael gives him that same worried look. “It’s just a day for me, okay? I’d rather it stay that way. Let’s just focus on yours. Please?”

He holds Rafael’s stare, watching the reluctance to agree slowly fizzle out. It’s the first birthday either of them are going to be spending with the other, so he gets it. It makes sense why Rafael would want to push, to try and change things for him, but they both know each other well enough by now to know that it’s not going to work. Happy memories are good, but they don’t all replace the bad. 

Slumping back a bit, Rafael sighs, but nods. 

“Yeah, okay,” he says, holding his hands out as if in surrender. Really unhappy surrender, but still agreement all the same. 

Then he forces a grin back onto his face, pushing himself up to ask, “So, uh, what do you have in mind then? Because, as much as I love your idea of us leaving in Cassie’s car, I don’t think she’d be on board, and we would literally have nowhere else to go.”

“Dude, we’ve had nowhere to go our entire lives,” Landon points out, setting his shoes side by side at the bottom of his bed, exactly as Hector and Maria instruct every day. “We’ll find somewhere. The adventure’s part of the fun, right?”

“Yeah, and actually having somewhere to sleep would be great, too,” Rafael replies dryly. 

Rolling his eyes again, Landon shrugs. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about that. But we’re gonna come up with a good, mostly solid plan. It’s gonna be epic.”

Rafael’s grin widens, even if it’s clear he wants to protest on the uncertainty in that statement. 

“Epic, huh?”

Landon nods, standing up, mirroring his grin right back as he grabs the clothes he was in before he went out. “Totally epic. Which means it’s gonna be totally awesome, so you have two weeks to prepare for the best day of your life.”

“Building this up way too much now.”

“Best eighteenth ever.”

Rafael just shakes his head at him as he finally climbs under his covers, no longer having to stay up to let Landon back in on the off chance he forgot to leave the window open. 

“Dork,” he mutters.

Landon turns away to pull his shirt off. “Says you.”

“Can’t hear you, I’m sleeping.”

  
  
~  
  
  


The shouting match lasts far too long for Landon to be able to figure out when it began or how long until it ends. Halfway through, he can barely remember what it is exactly he did to incur Hector’s wrath and apparently wind him up so much. Something about breakfast, which he remembers eating, then promptly leaving with Raf to meet up with a couple of their other friends. 

He stayed out later than Raf, though, who left earlier to meet Cassie, then presumably came home since he’s apparently upstairs in their room already. Landon can’t know for sure since he hasn’t been allowed to move from the living room since the second he stepped foot inside of the house. Because it took him a whole hour later to get back, which is apparently an issue, even though it’s barely three in the afternoon.

But somehow Hector’s lecturing on rules snowballed right into screaming about how Landon doesn’t respect him or Maria, and always gets Rafael in trouble on purpose, and he chooses the wrong kind of people to hang out with, how he’s defying their will under their roof and he just won’t have it.

It doesn’t seem to matter what Landon tries to say. He gets ignored, and when he shouts back to be heard, Hector's fury flares up and Maria steps in to try and calm him down. But she’s got that cold, steely glare fixed on Landon like this is somehow his fault. 

“I didn’t break a single one of your rules,” Landon says when he gets a chance, forcing his voice to stay low seeing as how raising it is starting to border dangerously close on a repeat of his second last foster home. “I am here, before your curfew.”

“You’re disrespectful!” Hector hisses, jabbing a finger at him, breaking away from Maria’s hand on his arm to get in his face. Landon just tilts his head up, never breaking his glare. “I saw you out there, with that _boy_ . You refuse to listen, you know how we feel about that, and yet you continue to _parade_ around as if--”

“Oh, come on!” Landon scoffs, actually laughing in disbelief. “You’re mad at me for having a _friend_ ? What, because his family switched to a different church because yours _shunned_ him out for being gay? You don’t think that maybe you should be questioning your choice in church instead of what I’m doing with my love life?”

“You were told never to say that again!” Hector erupts before he’s even done, eyes blazing furiously. “And there you go again, disrespecting our home, our rules!”

“Your rules are outdated and homophobic, you dick!”

The words are out of his mouth before he can stop himself. Landon hears the sharp sound in the silence of the room before the burning settles into his cheek. His eyes sting from the slap, focused on the dark blue carpet, and he clenches his jaw as tight as he can. Doesn’t hurt, don’t react. 

But Hector grabs him roughly, shouting something as he shoves him back. Landon’s heart is pounding too loudly in his ears to hear it all. He stumbles but catches himself, gritting his teeth harder, but Hector’s only moving forward, hands still pushing at his chest as Maria practically prays to the lord for forgiveness for Landon’s language, doing nothing to stop them. 

“You do not speak like that in my house!” Hector roars. Another hard shove, backing him close to the couch. “You hear me? You will abide by what I say, and you do not ever see that boy again! You never say those words again, you hear me?”

“Stop it!” Landon hears Rafael’s voice join the mix at the same time as he snaps, “Yeah, I hear you.”

Hector doesn’t acknowledge Rafael. 

“Are you listening?” He’s grabbing Landon by the front of his shirt, practically shaking him. “Never again! I won’t tolerate that under my roof!”

Landon manages to pull his grip off just as Rafael appears in front of him, pushing Hector back off of him, letting Landon take a step back on his own. Just a little bit of control. 

“Leave him alone,” Rafael says, his voice considerably calmer than either of theirs, trying to lull the tension. But he stays firmly in front of Landon, showing absolutely no sign of moving.

“Go back up to your room,” Hector tells him gently, but it’s not kind. Just quietly firm. “This is between him and us, okay? You go back up.”

Landon’s anger dissolves the tiniest bit, though his heart’s still beating loudly in his head and he kind of feels like he swallowed a golf ball. He reaches out, touching Rafael’s arm, taking it. 

“It’s fine, Rafi,” he says softly. “You can go back up.”

But Rafael shakes his head without even looking back at him. “Not without you.”

“Rafael,” Maria says, moving towards him, a tight smile. “Come on, dear.”

“Not without _Landon_ ,” Rafael repeats slowly, voice taking on a sharp edge now. “He comes with me or we both stay right here.”

“Raf, seriously." Landon gives his arm a light tug. “Go, it’s fine.”

“Let go of him.”

Landon looks back over at Hector, his eyebrows raising. It takes a moment for the absurdity of the situation to kick in, glancing at his hand on Rafael's arm, then he scoffs but takes his hand back to his side. 

“You have got to be kidding me,” he mutters, shaking his head. 

“There are rules,” Hector repeats. He’s not shouting anymore, but his voice is still just as full of loathing and fury. “You follow them. I will not have you corrupting him like that boy has done to you.”

“Oh my god,” Landon breathes, turning away from him as he breaks into laughter, unable to help himself. “You are actually ridiculous! And insane!”

“He’s not doing anything wrong,” Rafael says to Hector. He sounds on the verge of snapping as well now, voice tight and bordering on a level of anger that Landon’s already surpassed. “You can’t control him like this.”

“I will not tolerate that behaviour from him under this roof!” Hector’s voice raises as fast as a thermometer would in a pit of lava. “It’s unacceptable and unnatural, and _wrong_!”

Landon looks over at Maria, whose lips are pressed so tightly together they’ve turned white and she looks on the verge of passing out, and he throws his arms out. 

“Anything to add?” he asks sarcastically. “I’m a sinner? Jesus hates me? God would be ashamed? Or are you praying for him to forgive me? Because--trust me, I really don’t think he could care less about what I do.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Maria tells him, quiet and cold. 

Landon just nods, clenching his jaw. Of course not. What was he thinking? 

“Do not talk to her like that.” Hector manages to grab two fistfuls of the front of his shirt again, sidestepping Rafael before he can react. “You are eighteen now, we could easily leave you out on the streets where you came from. Show you some reality, how lucky you are to be here under our roof, fed and clothed with our money!”

It isn’t as easy to shake him off this time; Landon isn’t nearly as strong as Hector’s grip or his anger. But Rafael’s back, shoving Hector again, harder this time, his eyes the ones blazing. 

“Don’t touch him,” he growls, a noise deep in his throat, and shoves Hector again, completely dislodging his hands from Landon’s shirt. 

Hector actually stumbles back a few steps, his balance thrown-off. Landon’s eyes widen. Rafael’s do, too. The room immediately drops into a tense silence, a smothering blanket, as if it wasn’t bad enough already. 

Landon’s got a hand back on Rafael’s arm without thinking, stepping forward as his eyes stay fixed on Hector. His insides are a writhing, terrified mess, but for Rafael. He’s never gotten that angry before. Neither of them have fought back with Hector before. They’re both just waiting.

The thunderous expression on Hector’s face is one of shock, then fury again, and then… 

He sets his jaw, pressing his lips tightly together. Breathing out through his nose slowly, he doesn’t take another step towards either of them. Just straightens back up with some composure. 

When he speaks, it’s in a low, barely audible voice, one that says he won’t repeat himself. “Go to your room. Both of you. We’ll see you at breakfast.”

Neither of them moves for a moment. Landon’s almost thinking it’s a trap of some sort; move and you’re getting kicked out for failing the test. But not another word is said, and Landon would rather get Rafael as far away from Hector as possible before he changes his mind and turns red-faced like another explosive volcano. 

He and Rafael move slowly out of the room, careful. Landon catches Maria’s eyes on the passing. She looks away immediately. They continue walking, heading up the stairs, and back behind the not-quite-safety of their bedroom door. 

The entire house is in a strange sense of silence. Nothing from downstairs. Nothing from Rafael.

Landon watches him pace the room from where he’s seated on the edge of his own bed. It’s like he’s a wind-up toy, or a jack in the box just waiting to pop. 

A few beats pass before Landon finally manages to swallow, and quietly says, “I’m sorry.”

That stops Rafael in his tracks, facing him. He stares at him like he’s said the worst possible choice of words he could have strung together. 

“What? No.” Rafael shakes his head and steps towards him. “This isn’t your fault. I’m mad at them, not you. I mean, I just don’t _get_ them! They’re so--”

He cuts off with a groan of frustration, turning halfway away. Concern overtakes Landon’s own dying anger. He’s seen Rafael get worked up a couple of times, but never this much. Then again, this is the worst fight that’s happened.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Landon says gently, shrugging. Rafael’s eyes move back to him and Landon only catches the glimpse of disbelief before he’s quickly continuing. “Really. I don’t care. It’s nothing for you to--”

“Did he hit you?” Rafael cuts in sharply, and the way he’s looking at him makes sense now. 

He’s already sitting down beside him on his bed before Landon can do much more than flounder for a response that isn’t going to make this a whole lot worse. Lying doesn’t exactly seem like it’s going to work; it was easy not to notice the stinging still in his cheek, but it’s definitely there now, and he’s sure it’s accompanied by a lovely red mark.

“It’s… it’s fine,” Landon tries to repeat his assurances while Rafael’s hands turn his face for him to get a proper look. “It barely hurts.”

“You’re about a layer of skin away from bleeding, Landon, of course it hurts.”

“I’m--” Landon manages to stop him, gently pulling Rafael’s hands away and making him look at him, plastering on his most sincere expression. “I’m fine, Raf. Had worse, remember?”

That obviously doesn’t make Rafael feel any better. But he stops pushing. He just looks away, thought etched into his brow in a crease. Landon tightens his fingers around one of his hands, about to tell him it’s _fine_ , and to whatever he’s thinking, absolutely not. 

But Rafael speaks before he can get the chance, sounding certain of his decision.

“Let’s go somewhere.” He looks Landon directly in the eyes without a waver, and Landon can’t help but be sceptical. 

“Right--right now?” he asks, slowly pulling his own hand back. “Raf, no. You are not getting into any more trouble for me, alright? You’re already gonna be in enough as it is for defending me down there, I’m surprised Hector hasn’t already kicked us out. I won’t risk--”

“He doesn’t have to know, or Maria,” Rafael interjects, shaking his head with confidence. “Come on. You sneak out every night, and it’s your _birthday_. We’re doing something, and we’re getting out of this house to do it, even if it’s just for an hour or two.”

Landon still hesitates. He knows that sneaking out has become a habit for him, but Rafael’s only done it three times in total, and he was an anxious mess every time. But there’s no trace of that same anxiety now. Just a firm, certain need to be anywhere that isn’t just a few metres from Hector and Maria. 

And it isn’t really celebrating his birthday when he thinks about it, he reasons with himself. It’s distracting Raf, doing what _he_ wants. And he’d do anything for him, so. 

“Yeah,” Landon says. “Okay. Sure. Let’s go.”

They take the easy way out of the window, carefully climbing down the tree. It’s aimless walking from there. Landon talks. A lot. To keep both of their minds at ease as the sun slowly creeps towards the horizon. It can’t be too late, somewhere just after four maybe. 

Landon suggests they go and see Cassie, mostly in the hopes that it’ll take away some of the tension that Rafael’s clearly still holding onto. But Raf brushes the suggestion off with one of his own, to head into town. Find some way to celebrate.

It’s hard to protest when he’s lit up with such determination to do something for him. So, Landon goes along with it. He knows the way into town and the way around it like the back of his burn-marked hand anyway. 

And, okay, so it’s pretty fun to just be out with Raf. It’s different when he’s alone; just him and his thoughts, trying to clear every bad one out, fantasize about what if’s and questioning how many jobs he could get in order to make enough money to get them both out on a bus to who knows where. 

But Rafael talks about good things, and jokes, and slings an arm around his shoulders. It’s _nice_. 

Maybe it’s him getting caught up in the rare bubble of joy they’ve managed to encompass themselves in, but when his eyes land on the tattoo parlour across the road, he stops. With its bright, neon sign; how could he not take it as a literal sign? 

“I know how I wanna celebrate being eighteen,” he decides there and then.

Rafael stops as well, following his line of sight. His eyebrows raise, and the wariness is finally setting into his expression where it should have been at even the thought of sneaking out. 

“You want a tattoo?” he questions. “Like, a permanent one? That Hector and Maria are definitely gonna notice?”

Landon nods. “Yes. I… I will hide it from them if I regret it, but right now, I--I want a tattoo. I am eighteen and they can’t control what I do, so,” he starts walking backwards, spreading his arms, “I’m getting a tattoo.”

Even to his own ears, it sounds like he’s talking himself into it more than anything. Rafael stays rooted to the spot for a moment, a fairly reasonable and justifiable doubt in his eyes. But then he huffs out a sigh and shrugs. 

“It’s your birthday, man,” he says. “Let’s get you a tattoo.”

Excitement bubbles up in Landon’s chest. They head into the parlour and his eyes immediately go to the walls, catching sight of the display designs, the framed pictures. Then they drop to the doors leading into two rooms in the back, one or both the source of the faint but distinct buzzing noise he can hear. 

His heart is in his throat, but he’s pushing himself right up to the desk where a man three times his size is sitting. He himself has two full sleeves. When the guy looks at him, he’s aware that his eyes linger for a moment on his left cheek. But nothing gets said about it and he’s fine with that.

It only really occurs to him just how impulsive he’s being once he’s actually in one of those back rooms, seated in the chair with Rafael at his side and the man preparing his right forearm. 

Needles have never made him squeamish, thankfully. The buzzing is a little unnerving when it starts up suddenly, but he watches it be pressed into his skin without flinching.

Rafael, however, grimaces, and asks, “Does it hurt?”

Landon gives a shake of his left hand from side-to-side. “Kind of but also not really? Okay, wait, no, ow, I take that back. Yeah, it hurts, gimme your hand.”

Both Rafael and Joe (the tattooist) laugh, but Rafael still slips his hands into Landon’s all the same. Landon squeezes, maybe a little harder than he should, but Rafael doesn’t so much as twitch in discomfort, still wearing a fond grin. 

“You know you’re gonna be here for a while, right?” he says, sounding close to teasing. “You just had to pick something big, didn’t you? Couldn’t have gone even slightly smaller?”

Landon winces at the sharp poke of the needle, speaking through his teeth when he says, “Where’s the fun in rebelling… slash-celebrating, if no one can see it, right?”

“Can’t argue with you there,” Rafael says in a voice that definitely sounds as if he can and will later, but right now is going to humour him. Especially considering it’s too late to back out.

It certainly takes a little longer than Landon’s good at sitting still for, but he manages. And it feels pretty worth it once they’re done. He just stares at it, not quite believing that it’s actually real. But the mirror reflects the black chess piece and it’s definitely real. He has a tattoo. 

“That’s actually way cooler than I thought it was gonna be,” Rafael admits. “But did you get it just as a permanent brag about how you always win when we play chess?”

Landon chuckles and sarcastically replies, “Oh yeah, for sure.” He runs his thumb along the edge, careful not to get too close, the skin around it red and raw. “And also because it’s when I feel happiest. Just you, me, and the game that I am a total master at.”

Rafael is rolling his eyes when he glances back at him, but he’s smiling. His arm slides around his shoulders and he gives a gesture of his head. 

“Come on, let’s get that covered up and then we can go,” he says.

“Yeah, Hector and Maria are definitely gonna notice this, aren’t they?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Landon grimaces, glancing back down at it as he worries his bottom lip slightly. So, not his smartest act of rebellion. Certainly one of the more painful ones. But also the first one that’s actually made him feel a little less like Pinnochio with his strings being yanked. 

“That’s fine,” he decides, shrugging, and takes a deep breath as he nods. “I don’t care. They’ll have to deal with it or they can kick me out. I guess we’ll see which one they go with at breakfast.”

“Well, if you’re out then so am I,” Rafael says without missing a beat, not a waver or a falter to be found anywhere. “We stick together. Always. Right?”

Landon holds his gaze, and this is what it must feel like. For the first time, he thinks he understands what people who grow up in a loving home feel. Unconditional and certain love. 

“Right,” he agrees softly, smiling back. “It’s you and me. No matter what.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, I did not set out with making homophobia such a key element in this fic, but I was going through possible conflicts Landon could have with Hector and Maria, and well... I landed here, so we're rolling with it because he would be a brilliant disaster bi/ace. But I in no way associate all Catholics with homophobia or this kind of intolerance, it is merely the views that this particular group of people who happen to be Catholic have in this fic. But yeah, I just wanted to write a fic about Landon rebelling and getting the tattoo that the show never bothered to cover up aksjhksahdas so here we go! Plus some sweet bonding between him and Raf is always fun.


End file.
